The Camping Trip
by Gwen Potter
Summary: AU. George and Hermione have to go on a camping trip for Muggle Studies, sans magic. Fluffy romance ensues!


Disclaimer- as much as I wish I owned Harry Potter, I don't (dramatic sigh inserted here). I only own the plot, and I'll thank you guys to not steal it.

****

The Camping Trip

Hermione walked happily back into the Common Room after a wonderful Muggle Studies class (A/N- let's pretend that she didn't drop it, but Ancient Runes instead). "Wonderful day, wasn't it?" she asked of Harry and Ron, who were looking aggrieved. They had just come from Divination, which always put them in a bad mood for a bit.

"What are you so happy about?" Ron asked grumpily.

"All Muggle Studies classes, fifth year and up, are going on a camping trip, the Muggle way," she told them blissfully, "We're going for four days and three nights. When she had been younger, she had always loved camping with her parents.

"What's so great about that?" Harry asked her, rubbing his eyes.

"I love camping! It's great to do it the Muggle way," she informed her best friends, smiling from ear to ear. At that moment, Fred and George walked into the Common Room, George looking as miserable as Harry and Ron.

"What's wrong with him?" Ron asked Fred.

"Muggle Studies," Fred told them, "They're going camping, the Muggle way."

"Why camping?" the previously silent George said suddenly, "I mean, what a stupid idea!"

"I think it sounds like a lot of fun," Hermione told him.

"He's just upset because none of the other seventh year Gryffindors are taking Muggle Studies so we can't go with him," Fred said, clapping George on the back.

"Isn't Katie going?" Harry asked.

"Nope, when her parents got the letter about the trip, they sent one back saying that she couldn't go. Something about her allergies, or whatnot," Fred told them.

"Well, Muggle camping takes a lot of time, so you really won't be able to do too much other than the work, anyway," Hermione assured him.

"When is the trip?" Harry asked.

"Next weekend," George and Hermione said at the same time, George sounding downcast and Hermione very upbeat.

******

A few days later, Hermione was going through her camping gear. She had gotten her parents to send it to her, and she was going over her checklist.

"Tent, check; sleeping bag, check; canteen, check; lantern, check; clothes, check," she said, "Looks like about everything." Once she checked everything again, she headed downstairs to find Harry and Ron before dinner.

Instead, she found George. "Hey, George, what's up?"

"I just saw the tents that Professor Green is letting us use. They are awful!" he told her. Professor Green had told them that if they had their own Muggle tents, they could use them, but otherwise they had to use the tents that were being supplied. Her own tent was the family tent, so it was huge. It was a 12' X 10', two room dome tent that her parents had gotten the year before she came to Hogwarts.

"Well, if you wanted, you could share mine. I've got two rooms," she told him.

"Really?" he asked, "I mean, sure, if you wouldn't mind."

"Not at all," she told him, smiling.

"Thanks, Mione," George said, returning her grin.

******

"Alright, everyone!" said Professor Green loudly, "The bus will be dropping us off momentarily, where we will hike to the sites." They had taken the Knight Bus from Hogsmeade, as they couldn't Floo or Portkey. George had taken to hanging out with Hermione, as he was the only seventh year Gryffindor, and she REALLY didn't want to hang out with the other fifth year Gryffindors, Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown. They had been complaining loudly about the bugs, carrying all of their heavy bags, and having to live as Muggles for the three night, four day stay.

After Hermione had told him a bit about Muggle camping, George had gotten into the idea a bit more. It didn't seem as bad, and he was having fun with Hermione. They rarely got hang out with each other and talk without others being present and controlling the conversation. Over the past few months, she had grown up a bit more, and didn't bug everyone else about their studies as much. Sure, she still concentrated on hers a lot, but she did it in a more relaxed way. Also, she had grown up more physically. She had gained a few inches in height, and had developed a more feminine figure. Although George had found her a bit attractive since the Yule Ball the previous year, he found her more so now.

"Okay, this is where we stop," Professor Green said as the bus lurched to a halt. Hermione grinned broadly as she grabbed her backpack and bags from the storage compartment, and George chuckled.

"What?" she asked, still smiling.

"You," he told her, "I mean, you're just so excited, and you're acting like a little kid."

"I am not," she said indignantly, before realizing just how childish that sounded. "Okay, well, maybe just a little. But this is really exciting. It's been six years since I went Muggle camping, and I'm really thrilled."

George chuckled again, shaking his head as he pulled on his backpack. Once everyone had gotten their luggage and was ready to go, they began hiking down a trail towards the campsites. After about five minutes, George could hear Parvati and Lavender, along with Parvati's twin, Padma, and a couple of other fifth year Ravenclaws complaining loudly about the bugs and humidity.

"You know, they probably wouldn't get bitten by all the bugs if they weren't wearing all of that perfume," Hermione whispered, and George fought back a laugh. He also compared the attire of Hermione against the group of the other fifth year girls. Hermione was wearing a simple white tee shirt and a pair of denim shorts, with hiking boots. The other fifth years were wearing things like Capri pants and expensive blouses with sandals. George himself had chosen a pair of khaki shorts and a blue tee shirt. Also, the other girls had taken to fixing their hair, trying to look their best, but failing miserably when the humidity took over. Hermione had fixed her hair into six braids around her head, making her look rather cute.

"Okay!" Professor Green told them after about a half an hour of hiking, "We're here!" A large lake glittered in the early afternoon sun a short way away, and the tall, majestic trees were giving off a strong scent of pine.

Once they had settled on a spot, George and Hermione set up her tent, and George marveled at its size. The Muggle tents that Professor Green had were big enough for a couple of people, but Hermione's could house eight. It was six feet tall in the center, and it had a curtain to separate it into two rooms. There was a rainfly over the top, with large screen windows all around.

It only took them about twenty minutes to put it up, with Hermione's expertise showing through greatly. She had also been able to pack her supplies down tightly in her bags. She had managed to get an air mattress and pump into her backpack, along with her clothes and cosmetics(A/N- I mean stuff like soap, toothpaste, and etc.).

"Okay," Hermione said as she finished setting up the room divider, "We're done here!"

"Good," George said, brushing his hands off, "Let's go see what Professor Green wants us to do now." They walked over to Professor Green, who was surrounded by the students already done with constructing their tents.

Once everyone was finished (the Muggle-borns going quickest), Professor Green made her announcements. "Now, there aren't many requirements for the next few days. This is mainly a treat for all of you, as you've all been doing so well in class. I am, however, asking for a four-inch essay on Muggle camping. For the next four days, you will live as Muggles. Gather firewood, cook over the fire, and sleep in Muggle tents."

"Also," Professor Green continued, "there are a few rules you will need to follow. You may not go into the woods for any purpose without a partner."

George leaned in close to Hermione and asked as he extended his hand, "Partners?" She smiled and took his hand, giving him a quick nod before turning back to the Professor.

"There are bathrooms and showers over there," Professor Green said as she pointed to a small building a bit away, "and I want you to all stay around the campsites after dark." When she finished with her announcements, she let everyone get to work with what they wanted to do.

"Let's go get some firewood," Hermione said excitedly, grabbing George's hand and pulling him towards the trees.

From the moment Hermione's hand touched his, George felt funny. His head was spinning and his stomach was doing flip-flops. Her hand was small and warm in his, very smooth and soft. He felt bereft when she let go to grab some branches off of the ground, but he didn't know why.

"Oh my gosh," said a voice in his head, "You like Hermione!"

******

Later, by the fire, Hermione was wondering what she had been thinking when she'd grabbed George's hand. Her heart had raced when she felt his warm skin against her own, and she had gotten lightheaded. Recently, she had been discovering a whole new side of George Weasley. She had always thought of him as a just joking, frivolous person, but she had been proven wrong. He had a serious side, as well, and he was very smart, indeed.

Not many people knew, but George was near the top of his class, as was Fred. Hermione had always assumed that he wasn't very smart, due to his jesting nature, but he really was.

Although she hadn't known it until a while after they'd gotten back from gathering firewood, Hermione had realized that she liked George. A lot.

"I can't like him, though," she told herself, "He's Ron's brother! He's… well, George Weasley! I can't like him!" No matter how many times she told herself that, however, she knew that she really did.

After a while of sitting around the fire, it got dark, and Hermione decided to go to bed.

"I'm going to go to bed," she said, standing up from the group of people she and George were sitting with.

"I think I'll turn in too," George said, following her back to the tent. Hermione quickly changed into her pajamas on her side of the tent, checking to be sure that George couldn't see though.

"Night, George," she said as she lay down, covering with her thin blanket. She was very glad that she had brought her air mattress, as the ground underneath the tent was very hard.

"G'night, Mione," George said as he lay down as well.

After about fifteen minutes, Hermione was wishing that she had brought a heavier blanket. She was absolutely freezing!

George, on the other hand was very warm. His problem was that he was very uncomfortable. The ground _was _very hard, and even though his thick sleeping bag was keeping him at a nice temperature, it did nothing to pad the ground.

"George?" Hermione asked tentatively.

"Yeah?" he called back, turning over onto his side.

"Are you cold?"

"No, but I am very uncomfortable. This ground is harder than a rock," George told her.

Another five minutes later, George asked, "Still cold?"

"Yeah," Hermione replied, "Still uncomfortable?"

"You know it."

"Okay, I've got an idea," Hermione told him.

"What's that?"

"Well, if you're uncomfortable, and I'm cold, why don't we just take down the curtain and we can share my air mattress and your sleeping bag? We could sleep back to back," she suggested.

"Sounds great to me," George replied, beginning to remove the divider. Anything to get him off of the hard ground sounded good to him. Hermione worked on the other side, and soon it was down. George quickly unzipped his sleeping bag, moving over to lie on Hermione's mattress, it dipping down slightly under his added weight. She snuggled under the thick material, while George sighed in contentment at being off of the rigid ground.

Hermione's heart also sped up at being so close to George, as did his, and the compromising position was sending ideas through both of their heads.

Rapidly warming from more than the heat, with a blush forming on her cheeks, Hermione said, "Good night."

"Night, Hermione," George replied. Before long, the two of them had floated off into wonderful dreams of each other, though neither would have thought that the other was dreaming of them.

******

Hermione woke up around eight the next morning, stretching languidly and yawning. George was still pleasantly snoozing, and Hermione couldn't help but watch him. He looked almost innocent in his sleep, although she knew better. His flaming hair was slightly mussed, and a slight smile played on his lips. She thought that he was rather attractive normally, and being asleep did nothing to change that. Hermione gently shook his shoulder, and quietly said, "George, wake up."

His eyes fluttered open gently, and he smiled at the sight. Hermione was leaning over him, looking like an angel. Her hair, which she had taken out of her braids before she went to bed, was shining in the morning light, the light waves falling around her shoulders. Her honey-colored eyes were shining, and her pink lips were practically calling out to be kissed. George had never seen anyone who looked more attractive.

"Morning," Hermione said, giving him a large smile. George's heart contracted as she did so.

"Morning," he replied, rubbing his eyes as he sat up.

Hermione grabbed her backpack from its position near the top of her air mattress, swinging it over one shoulder. "I'm just going to go have a shower and get dressed," she said, carefully stepping over George. She quickly unzipped the door, flashing George a last smile before she closed tent back up.

After a quick shower, Hermione picked out a bright yellow tank top and a pair of khaki shorts. She brushed her teeth, then proceeded to use her Muggle hair dryer. The Wizard-born girls marveled at the Muggle device, and she told them what it did over the noise as she fixed her hair. It straightened out, becoming shiny and silky as she blow-dried it.

Hermione headed back to the tent, and George was gone. She straightened the tent back up, depositing her backpack in its previous resting position. As she zipped the door shut, she heard approaching footsteps. George was walking back from the showers, absentmindedly drying his hair with a small, white towel.

When George spotted Hermione, his heart almost stopped. She looked breathtaking. Her hair was gorgeous, the shining locks cascading down her back. She was clad in a yellow tank top and a pair of khaki shorts, with a pair of dark brown hiking boots on her feet.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked self-consciously, looking down at her clothes.

"Oh, nothing," George said, averting his gaze. 'You are just so beautiful,' he added to himself.

******

Some time after lunch, a group of fifth and sixth year Gryffindors and Ravenclaws approached George and Hermione, who were still sitting and talking by the fire.

"Hey," said Parvati (or was it Padma?), "We're going swimming in the lake. Want to join us?"

Hermione and George exchanged a questioning glance, before Hermione turned back to the other students and said, "Sure."

Hermione waited outside the tent while George changed into his swimsuit, sitting on a nearby log. He emerged a few moments later, clad in a pair of dark blue board shorts. He had very developed muscles in his chest and his abdomen from years of playing Quidditch. Hermione nearly swooned, as stupidly cliched as it was. Regaining her senses she entered the tent, firmly zipping it shut behind her.

When she emerged from the tent, George's breath caught in his throat. Hermione was wearing a red tube-top bikini with a towel draped over her arm, and she looked immeasurably sexy. Her tan skin complemented her hair color wonderfully, and she looked like a goddess. Her curves were nicely displayed, and George longed to pull her into his arms and kiss her passionately, touching every inch of skin he could. She placed her hands on her hips when she noticed his stare, narrowing her eyes. "What?"

Quickly regaining his senses, George said jokingly, "I just never thought you'd have any kind of a body. I mean, who can tell under all of those baggy clothes you wear?"

"Ha ha," she said sarcastically, slipping a pair of flip-flops onto her feet.

"Seriously, though, you look terrific," he told her.

Hermione blushed a bit before smiling and saying, "Thanks. You do as well. Quidditch must be quite a workout."

"Well…," he said, shrugging. The tops of his ears reddened slightly, and Hermione couldn't help but notice how cute that was on him.

"We should probably get down to the lake," she said, turning towards the water. They quickly walked down there, finding several of the students splashing and playing.

After settling her things down beside a tree, Hermione slowly started walking into the water, taking time to adjust. George, however, threw caution to the wind and jumped in. Once he had resurfaced, he stood and waited for Hermione to get in.

"Oh, come on Mione!" he said loudly, "It's better if you just get it over with!"

"It is not," she said, taking another cautious step into the water.

"Is too!" he called back, splashing a bit of water her way. She quickly avoided the splash, sending death glares to George.

"Don't do that!" she said irritably.

"Oh, fine," he said, diving back underneath the water. He resurfaced a ways from Hermione, quietly sneaking up behind her. A few of the teens in the water gave him curious looks, but Hermione didn't notice, as she was too busy trying to adjust to the water temperature.

When he was positioned right behind her, George cleared his throat. She quickly turned around, her eyes widening with surprise. George smiled evilly, and Hermione realized his intentions as he slowly walked closer to her.

"No, please don't," she said slowly, shaking her head and holding out her hands as she took another tentative step backwards in the water.

"Don't what?" George asked innocently as he continued to inch closer to her.

"Don't," she repeated firmly.

"Okay, I won't," he said, turning around, making Hermione breathe a sigh of relief. All of a sudden, George turned to Hermione again, jumping out at her and wrapping an arm around her waist as he pushed her down; this resulted in both of them going under the water.

When they resurfaced, Hermione sputtered out a mouthful of water, glaring furiously at George. She closed her eyes once she had gotten the liquid out of her mouth, suddenly starting to laugh. George joined in after a moment, glad she wasn't too furious at him.

Hermione stopped laughing all of a sudden, a wicked gleam penetrating her innocent eyes. She smirked quickly, and George asked, "Are you okay?"

"Very much so," she replied, focusing her attention across the lake, "What's that?"

George turned his head, searching. As he prepared to question what Hermione was talking about, she struck out with her revenge. She tackled him, sending George under the surface of the water. Hermione pushed on his shoulders to hold him down, but George quickly threw her off. He hooked one arm under her knees and placed the other under her back, momentarily thinking about how many different ways he could use their current position.

He quickly dropped her, making her fall under the water with a small splash. George placed one hand on her right leg, sending his other to her forehead, effectively holding her under.

Hermione quickly reached out and pinched George's leg, making him howl in surprise and pain. Hermione emerged quickly, jumping on George's back and wrapping her arms around his neck, sending him under yet again. He rolled them over, turning in Hermione's arms, placing his own against the small of her back. Hermione wrapped her legs around George's waist to help herself stay afloat, and their gazes locked for a few precious moments.

Suddenly, they both realized exactly what they must have looked like. As they disentangled themselves from one another, they muttered small apologies.

"Sorry," Hermione said quietly, pulling back from George slightly.

"Me too," he returned, giving her an embarrassed grin. Luckily for the two of them, nobody had noticed. George quickly dove under the water to clear his head. 'What is this girl doing to me? It's not like Hermione would ever like me back,' he said to himself as he surfaced.

'How does George do this to me?' Hermione asked in her own inner monologue. 'I don't know why I'm even bothering to like him like this; like George would ever like me the same way.'

'Why is this so complicated?' they both asked themselves at the same time.

******

That evening, after supper, the entire group sat around the large bonfire telling scary stories. "And so," a sixth year Gryffindor said quietly, "The students slowly turned around, but they still didn't see anything. The breathing kept getting louder, and louder, and louder."

Hermione was cowering down next to George, squeezing his hand so tightly he thought it might break. He leaned down close to her and touched a hand to her shoulder, making her jump. "Are you okay?" he whispered in her ear.

"I just don't like horror stories very much," she whispered back. She looked quite fearful, jumping at the slightest noise.

"You want to go to the tent?" George asked, looking around the group; Hermione nodded quickly.

On the way back to the tent, Hermione said, "Sorry to drag you away from all of that."

"Oh, that's okay," he told her, "I've never really liked any of that stuff anyway." When they arrived, Hermione looked skeptically at the tent.

"I know I sound like a big baby, but would you check the tent? Make sure that nobody's in there?" she asked, biting her lip.

"Aww, don't worry Mione," George said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and taking her hands into his, "I'll protect you." He slowly unzipped the tent, deciding to not joke around and scare her. Although he normally would have, it was different with Hermione. He wanted to act all protective with her, which was weird. The only other girl he ever felt that way about was Ginny, and that was natural, as she was his little sister. Even with Ginny, though, he still teased her and scared her if the opportunity arose.

"Okay, all clear," he told her, giving a large grin. He ushered her into the tent, sitting her down on her air mattress.

"Thanks, George," she said, giving him a small hug. His insides turned to mush at that. Hermione also felt all tingly when his arms wrapped around her in return. George then did something that surprised the both of them. He placed a soft kiss on Hermione's forehead, both of them closing their eyes.

After a moment of awkward silence, George said, "So, um, do you want me to wait outside while you change?"

"Um, actually, could you just turn around?" she asked.

"Oh, uh, yeah, sure," he said, turning his back to Hermione. She quickly changed out of her clothes, pulling a nightgown over her head.

"Alright," she said as soon as she was finished. She turned around to allow George to change as well, facing the wall of the tent.

"Okay," he told her as he finished the last button on his pajamas. Hermione quickly nestled under George's sleeping bag, pulling it tightly around her neck.

"G'night, George," she said warily.

"Night," he replied, turning on his side.

******

George was woken an hour and a half later to a strange noise. He sat up, finding Hermione moaning in her sleep. She was twisting and turning, and George realized that she must have been having a nightmare.

"Hermione," he said quietly, shaking her shoulder. "Come on, Mione, wake up. You're having a nightmare." He shook her again, and her eyes bolted open. Once she regained her surroundings, she threw her arms around George's neck.

He patted her back softly, making comforting noises in her ear. George couldn't help but smell her hair as he did so, inhaling the sweet scent. Hermione was sobbing into his shoulder; her arms still firmly in place around his neck.

Once she had calmed down a bit, she pulled back and said, "This is why I generally don't like to listen to scary stories." She then proceeded to bury her face back in George's shoulder.

"Don't worry about it," George told her, wrapping his arms tighter around her. Hermione felt her knees go weak, and she knew that if she'd been standing, she would have fallen down.

To support them, George tugged on Hermione's shoulders until they were laying down. He moved a hand to stroke her hair, and asked softly, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really," she breathed into his shoulder, her warm breath reaching up and tickling his neck. "Um, George?" she asked cautiously.

"Yeah, Mione?" he asked, his voice slightly muffled as his face was still buried in her hair.

"I know that this is going to sound really stupid, but…," she began, "Oh, never mind."

"No, what is it?" George asked.

"Well," she said tentatively, "Would you, maybe, just hold me until I fall back asleep? It used to always help when I was little."

"Sure thing," he said, wrapping his arms around her yet tighter.

"Thanks," she said, contentedly snuggling into George's embrace further.

"Good night, Hermione," he told her, nuzzling his face in her hair. He knew that she had already calmed down and didn't need to do things like that anymore, but he couldn't help himself. Holding Hermione in his arms was the best sensation he'd ever experienced, and she couldn't help but agree.

******

The next morning, Hermione woke to a wonderful feeling. She was lying in George's arms; and pleasant warmth was filling her body. She closed her eyes in sheer bliss, biting her lip as she memorized the feelings coursing through her body. George was still asleep, and Hermione could feel his deep, even breathing. She could almost hear the beating of his heart as she lay her head against his chest, content to stay like that forever.

Forever was not to be, however, as George began to stir another few minutes later. "Hi," he said, fighting back a yawn. Realizing that he was still holding Hermione tightly in his arms, he moved them, allowing the two of them to part. That had been wonderful for him. He had watched her for a while as she slept, and she had looked ravishing. Her eyelids had gently closed after a few moments of being held, her breathing leveled out, and she fell asleep. George had basked in her warmth, holding her against him, soon joining her in the wonderful depths of slumber.

"So," he asked, "Any more nightmares?"

"Not any that I'm aware of," she said, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"Good," George said, grabbing his backpack. "I'm just going to go get dressed." As he walked towards the showers, George made a decision. 'I have to tell her. And before we get back. What would Fred say if I told her back at Hogwarts?'

In the tent, Hermione was thinking along the same lines. 'I need to tell George how I feel. I should just do it before we go back, so it won't be as hard to get him alone. I know he doesn't feel the same, but I absolutely must tell him.'

George's subconscious thought, 'I know she won't think of me in the same way, and she'll probably never want to talk to me again, but she has to know.'

******

"Hermione?" George asked a bit after lunch.

"Yeah, George?" she replied.

"Um, can we talk?" he asked.

"Yeah, sure," she said, thinking that it would be a perfect time to tell him how she felt. George was planning on telling her then, and had spent all morning steeling himself up for this.

"Uh, why don't we go somewhere a bit more private?" he suggested. There were far too many people around for when he made a fool of himself.

"Alright," she replied. The two of them stood up and George led her into the woods. Once certain that they were far enough away from everyone, George turned back to Hermione.

"There's something I need to tell you," he said.

"I kinda need to tell you something too, but you go first," Hermione said as she motioned for him to continue.

"Okay, this is really, really hard for me to say," George told her. "Just please promise me that you won't laugh or anything."

"I promise I won't," she told him, giving him an encouraging smile.

George took her hands in his and closed his eyes. "Okay, Mione. Over the past few days, I've really been getting to know you, and I've been figuring out lots of stuff about you. Throughout all the years that we've known each other, we've never been particularly close, and I'm really glad that we've been changing that recently."

"I know that this is probably going to ruin everything that we've been building for the last couple of days, but I have to let you know: I like you. You are a wonderful person, you're pretty, smart, funny, nice, and, well, a bunch of other stuff, too. I know that you probably don't feel the same but…" He stopped as he was cut off by Hermione's hand covering his mouth.

"Are you… are you serious?" she asked, "This isn't just a joke, is it?" George shook his head, a little bit confused.

Slowly, Hermione's entire face lit up in a smile. She removed her hand from George's mouth, and said something so quietly that it was barely audible.

"What was that?" he asked, looking intently at her.

"I like you, too," she repeated a bit louder, tears of joy forming in her eyes.

"You do?" he asked incredulously. Hermione nodded silently, fighting back the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes. George face broke into the largest grin she'd ever seen on it; it looked rather endearing on him.

Their eyes locked, and in that moment, they both stepped closer to the other. George cupped Hermione's cheek in his right hand, placing his other on the back of her neck. He slowly lowered his head until they were only centimeters apart. Hermione closed her eyes, as did George, tilting her head upwards as she did so. George closed the distance between them and gently brushed his lips against Hermione's.

An electrical current unlike anything she'd ever felt coursed through Hermione's body as they kissed. She moved her hands up and ran them through George's hair, pulling his head down and kissing him harder. George moved his lips slightly and deepened the kiss, his heart contracting in joy.

When they pulled back, Hermione looked into George's eyes, a huge smile adorning her face. "Well," she said, "That was…,"

"Incredible," George finished, stroking her cheek. "Um, Hermione? Would… would you be my girlfriend?"

"I'd love to," she replied. George leaned down and kissed her again, happier than he had ever been in his entire life.

"So we're going out," George said, taking her hand.

"Yeah," Hermione said dreamily, scrunching up her nose cutely.

"What?" George asked.

"I know I sound really stupid, but now I get what Parvati and Lavender are always talking about," she explained, "I mean, I just feel all tingly and warm. Ugh, I sound really dumb, don't I?"

"No, not at all," George told her, putting an arm around her shoulders.

******

That evening, George and Hermione decided to retire to bed just after ten. They hadn't told anyone about their relationship yet, so nobody got any ideas about just what they were doing in the tent. Hermione quickly changed into her pajamas while George waited outside of the tent, both of them still grinning. She'd been smiling ever since George had told her how he felt about her.

"Okay, I'm done," she called to him; George unzipped the tent and stepped inside. He had changed into his pajamas first, as she didn't want to stand outside only partially clothed. After all, she did have a boyfriend now.

Hermione quickly climbed underneath George's sleeping bag, leaning back against her pillows. George looked thoughtful as he got underneath the covers.

"Hermione?" he asked, turning on his side to face her.

"Hmm?" she replied, unsuccessfully trying to fluff her pillows.

"I know that I'm going to sound crazy here, but do we have to sleep back to back? I really enjoyed getting to hold you last night."

Hermione considered this for a moment before she faced him. "I guess we don't have to. As long as you don't try anything."

"Me!? Try anything?" he asked in disbelief. "Never." As soon as he had finished, he kissed the side of her jaw, moving downwards towards her neck.

"Oh, stop it," she said, swatting him on the arm. George moved his head up, placing a tender kiss on her lips.

"Good night, Mione," he said, giving her a mischievous grin.

"Night, George," Hermione said, placing her lips upon his once more. George promptly wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her body against his own. Hermione's own arms came to rest around George's neck, nuzzling her face into his shoulder. The two of them fell asleep quickly, locked in the warm embrace.

******

Hermione woke up once again to the wonderful sensation of being in George's arms the next morning. She had her head against the crook of his neck, and he had his chin resting on top of her head. Hermione decided to give George a small treat to wake him.

She placed small kisses on the side of his neck, moving up to his jaw, the light morning stubble on his chin scratching her lips. George moved a bit as he started to wake up, and Hermione finished the job as she pressed her lips firmly to his.

George wrapped his arms around Hermione's back, rolling over and pinning her beneath him. They continued their kiss, until they were both completely out of breath.

"Morning," Hermione said, giving him an adorable smile.

"Too bad you can't wake me up like that every morning," George said as he rolled off of her. "It might give me incentive to wake up and go to my classes."

"I'll see what I can do," she replied, giggling slightly as she sat up. "Now come on, we've got to go get ready. We're leaving today."

"Aww, I don't want to," he replied, pulling her back down onto the mattress.

"You know, that's kinda funny," Hermione told him as she leaned back on her elbows.

"Why's that?" George asked.

"Well, a few days ago, you didn't even want to come. Now, you don't want to leave. It's quite ironic."

George simply shrugged, sitting up. "So, when are we going to tell everyone about us?"

"Well, I guess we should do it tonight, after we get back," Hermione said, biting her lip thoughtfully.

"Sounds good to me," George told her, "But I shudder to think what Fred and Lee are gonna do."

"And Lavender and Parvati," Hermione said, "Good thing we haven't told anyone yet. They would be all… well, girly."

"I am so glad that you aren't the giggly, makeup-y, frilly kind of girl. I don't think I could stand that," he said.

"Me neither," she responded. "Me neither."

******

"Okay," Professor Green said, getting the attention of the students. "You should all start packing up your things now, and we'll be leaving in two hours. Please don't forget anything, as we won't be able to come back for it."

Hermione and George quickly disassembled the tent, triple-checking for all of their belongings. They finished within a half an hour, and spent the rest of the time taking a last stroll through the woods.

They loaded their bags onto the Knight Bus after the short hike to the loading zone, quickly settling down for the long drive back to Hogwarts. Hermione and George relaxed for much of the trip, awaiting the merciless teasing that would soon come forth from their friends.

When the bus finally came to a stop beside the gates in front of Hogwarts, Hermione felt that as fun as the trip had been, it was good to be back. They gathered their things and headed towards Gryffindor Tower. George and Hermione took their time getting their, enjoying their last few moments together without their friends making a scene of it.

"Okay, you ready?" George asked as they stood outside the portrait hole.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Hermione replied. They shared one last kiss before giving the password and stepping inside.

Harry and Ron were on a sofa by the fire, playing Exploding Snap. Fred was sitting with Lee, Alicia, Katie, and Angelina just a bit away, and nobody had noticed their return yet.

Hermione set her bags down and snuck up behind Harry and Ron, leaning on the back of the couch they were sitting on. "So tell me," she said, making them turn around, "Just how much did you guys miss me?"

"Hey Mione!" Ron said.

"How was the trip?" Harry asked her.

"It was pretty good, and I have something to tell you, but let me put my stuff up first," she told them, walking over to her things.

George, however, just sat down in a chair by his friends, grinning.

"You're back!" Fred said, "Finally!"

After being greeted by his friends, George also deposited his things in his room, coming back down the stairs to stand next to Hermione.

"Okay," he said, "We have something to tell you guys." Once they had their friends' attention, Hermione continued.

"Over the past few days, during the trip, George and I got to know each other better."

"Well, we, um, we're…," George said, turning slightly red.

"How should we say this?" Hermione asked, looking up at George.

"We're dating," George said finally, wrapping an arm around Hermione's waist, a goofy grin plastered across his face.

"Aww!" Fred and Lee said sarcastically.

"Shut it, will you?" George asked, rolling his eyes.

"I, for one, am happy for you guys," Harry told them.

"Me too," Ron added.

"Thanks," Hermione said, turning to George. Fred and Lee were currently being told off by their girlfriends, Angelina and Alicia.

"So, did you have fun on the trip?" George asked.

"Very much so," Hermione responded, placing a tender kiss on his lips. She blushed as their friends cooed, but felt happier than she ever had before. George couldn't help but agree.

****

The End

A/N- How fluffy was that? I love George/Hermione, and I got this idea when my mom bought a new tent (Can anyone guess where I got the tent description?). I am working on a sequel, and you can expect just as much fluff.


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